Chicago Rush named AFL’s Organization of the Year

The
Chicago Rush has won the 2007 Arena Football League Commissioner’s Award, given
to the league’s Organization of the Year, the AFL announced Friday night at its
annual awards banquet. It is the second time in the last four seasons the Rush
has won the award, which honors excellence in the front office as well as on
the field. The Rush won its first Commissioner’s Award after the 2004 season.

“It
is a great honor to be recognized by the league as the Organization of the
Year,” said Rush president/general manager Mike Polisky. “From
ownership, to the front office, to the players and coaches, we take great pride
in working to be the best organization we can be, and look forward to improving
upon our successes next season.”

After winning
ArenaBowl XX in 2006, the Rush saw season ticket sales climb by 30 percent this
year, resulting in packed crowds. The Rush, which won the Central Division with
a 12-4 record, played in front of an average of 15,609 fans at home – filling
Allstate Arena to 98 percent of capacity.

In
addition, corporate partnerships – including working relationships with
Allstate Insurance, Budweiser, Discover Card, Dominick’s, LaSalle Bank and
Pepsi – also increased by 30 percent in 2007 and ranked among the top in the AFL.
The team’s local success in its partnership with Discover Card led directly to
a league-wide deal between the AFL and the credit card provider.

On the
field the Rush has been one of the AFL’s most consistent franchises, qualifying
for the playoffs in each of its seven years and winning the ArenaBowl title in
2006.

Chicago
is one of only three teams in the AFL to reach the playoffs in each of the last
seven seasons and the only team to advance as far as the AFL semifinals in each
of the last four years.